The U.S. State Department approves $100 million arms sale to Japan

On December 16, the Defense Security Cooperation Agency under the U.S. Department of Defense issued a press release stating that the U.S. State Department has approved a military sale to Japan valued at approximately $100 million, providing technical support and related equipment to the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyers equipped with the Aegis combat system. The press release stated that the Japanese government requested to purchase follow-on technical support for the Aegis destroyers, including operational system maritime validation testing, testing and evaluation services, Aegis computer software updates, system integration, and testing, with an estimated total cost of $100.2 million. The Defense Security Cooperation Agency has submitted the required certification documents to the U.S. Congress. The main contractor for this military sale will be Lockheed Martin. (CCTV News)